IG report: Your snowmobile is not a government vehicle

If you’re into snowmobiling and don’t like to pay DMV fees, move to Fulton County.

Ok, well — now it might be too late. But a Friday report from the state Inspector General found that former Fulton County Clerk William Eschler allowed four local snowmobile clubs to register their whips as “government” vehicles. This meant the club members didn’t need to pay the $45 DMV registration and trail maintenance fee.

The IG’s report said that this malfeasance resulted in $10,000 of uncollected cash over a 10-year period.

During the period when these waivers were issued, Eschler was a member of one of the clubs that benefited from his official largesse, and his brother-in-law was an officer in another. Eschler also admitted to the investigators that he never reviewed DMV statutes or policies in his 25 years as county clerk.

“The improper issuance of these government registrations not only cost the state revenue, but was an apparent conflict of interest by the former County Clerk,” the report states. “Under no circumstances should government registrations have been given out free-of-charge to private clubs, particularly after Eschler was aware of the impropriety of his actions.”

Eschler testified that the impropriety occurred because he thought that club-owned trail maintenance machines could be registered as government vehicles. But the IG said that after the county clerk learned the waivers were improper, he continued to issue them for another year. He only stopped when the IG’s investigation came to his attention.

You can read the IG’s full report in all its bureaucratic-lingo glory HERE

sounds like the County Clerk should be responsible for paying back what DMV has lost out on! He found out he wasn’t charging properly but continued to do so for a year?
and as a County Clerk, he never reviewed DMV’s policies, how can that be?

That is the pot calling the kettle black. The DMV collects these same fees from off road motorcycles and there are no trails designated for bikes and no maintenance costs to the State. Maybe the IG can “investigate” the State for charging DMV fees to off road motorcyclists. If IG wants to find out some serious waste and misuse check out what is going on in Albany.

So after one official warning this thief continued to violate the law. Only when he saw that there was an actual investigation did he stop. Next stop: JAIL. This office is waaaay too political in many counties…probably in every one. Some get special license plates, some get nice fat jobs for their wives. Isn’t the County Clerk supposed to work for government, not cronies?

One wonders whether the cost of the investigation exceeded the cost of the improper conduct. Then again, this sort of thing justifies the IG’s existence, so best to gild a lily, even if it is not a lily.

After reading some of these posts I’ve got to say….easy folks. This is not a big government conspiracy or money grab by the state. This is a matter of an elected County Clerk not following state law, seemingly to benefit from his ignoring the law. (Isn’t that what many people are complaining about when it comes to Cuomo and the “Commission?”)

Yeah, it may have have cost the state 10 times the amount lost in the investigation, but it is still corruption. And ANY corruption must be found and prosecuted. (I don’t care if it is Republican or Democrat.) All corruption of the law needs to be prosecuted, That’s what seaprates our laws and governments from Cuba, the Russian Federation, most African nations and even the UK. We should hold ALL politician to a high standard.

RRB3, you’re right…The State lost $1000 per year and each snowmobile rider was $45 richer. Both sides are running scams except one is legal. Those fees are suppose to maintain a trail system for both bikes and snowmobiles. The State is good at scamming just the the speeding ticket scam they have going on 84,87 and 81.

Corruption is corruption and I expect my government to find it anywhere it exists and prosecute any guilty parties to the full extent.
If it costs money to fight corruption, so be it!
I prefer government on any level be honest and law abiding. Prosecute them and sooner or later others will get the message.

This is hilarious. It took 14 people over two years to conduct this “investigation”. What a joke. Meanwhile, the US Attorney has no trouble identifying, indicting and prosecuting real criminals in government. The citizens of NY would be better served if we just scrapped the IG’s office, it is obviously incapable of conducting a meaningful investigation.

Here’s an innovative thought in response to these comments about the substantial investigative powers (and plentiful staff) that seem to scouring the bottom of the barrel for things to justify their existence: Why not deploy their fearsome investigative skills to use (ready for this?) at the New York State Legislature? Isn’t that where the REAL criminals are – not the nickel-and-diming stuff of stapler-stealing state employees and skimming county clerks? I mean, do you need a Moreland Commission, when you already have the honed investigative forces of the IG already in place?

OH, forget it – I just realized that you should never underestimate the foresightedness of the Legislature: You see, when they created the Office of the Inspector General, they proscribed its powers and duties to the Executive Branch only – the Legislature is statutorily out-of-bounds.

Council 82: Those fees you are telling people to avoid are part of New York State’s revenue. Maybe the state wouldn’t have to do so much “scamming” if your union didn’t demand so much salary and benefits.

Council 82 doesn’t represent many people anymore since they lost the Security Services Unit. Pretty much now, the only work place hey represent that I know of is the CO’s at the Oneida County Jail.
Council 83 is borderline useless. They are part of AFSCME so most of the dues money rather than assisting the membership goes to AFSCME, who does nothing to help its members but pay AFSCME’s executives exorbitant salaries.

The state does not want a capable IG’s office, that’s why they have it full of buffoons. That is also why Risa Sugarman is going to spearhead the Board of Elections investigations – she was huge do nothing at DTF and she’s sure to accomplish just as little in her new position.

Actually, the IG’s office is full of some very capable people, particularly in the computer forensics department; seems like they are not being used to their full capability, but that’s an outsider’s perspective. “Just Get It Out” has a good point – why not deploy their considerable talents to ferreting out malfeasance in the State Legislature? If only the Legislature had had a momentary lapse of judgment when they wrote that enabling legislation….